Vernon ROCKS Attends National Conference

Members of the Coalition attended CADCA’s 30th Annual National Leadership Forum in the beginning of February. The forum is the largest event for community-based substance use and misuse prevention, providing training, connections, resources and information.

We attended Capitol Hill Day, providing the opportunity to discuss the importance of substance use prevention efforts with policymakers, as well as attended a rally outside of The United States Capitol.

Youth members passionately discuss the need for drug use prevention in their local community with Connecticut policymakers’ staffers

The coalition was selected to be a part of a group of 25 coalitions to present a poster demonstrating the success our Real Talk Campaign has had throughout Vernon in reducing youth alcohol use.

Above: Real Talk Vernon poster on display at the conference

Coalition members pose in front of our Real Talk poster

We attended SAMSHA’s 16th Annual Prevention Day, where we were able to learn about the prevention priorities for the coming year. We listened to expert speakers discuss evidence-based preventive interventions and findings from the latest developments in the areas of substance abuse prevention, treatment, recovery, and mental illness.

Unfortunately, sexual minorities often face social stigma, discrimination, and other challenges like violence and harassment, not experienced by those who identify as heterosexual. These challenges mixed with other stressors lead sexual minorities to be at an increased risk for substance use. According to SAMHSA, substance use disorders affect 20 to 30% of the LGBTQIA+ population, compared to 8.4% of the general population. People who identify as gay and lesbian are more than twice as likely as those who identify as heterosexual to have a severe alcohol or tobacco use disorder. That number raises to three times as likely for people who identify as bisexual, and five times as likely for people who are unsure how to identify their sexuality (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2017). The Vernon ROCKS Coalition wants everyone to know there are supportive people, and resources to help and you are not alone. We stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. Visit our website for more information. www.vernonrocksct.org/pride-month/... See MoreSee Less